It’s hard losing weight. And one of the main reasons why it’s so impossible shedding pounds is because we are cursed by cravings for just food, for cookies, chocolate, cakes and candies. Basically: sugary treats.

According to the NHS, Britons have on average sugar intake of 700g a week, which is the equivalent to 140 teaspoons. Guess what? The recommended daily sugar allowance is 25g (175g a week), which makes up 5% of the average person’s diet.

The average person is eating four times their daily sugar allowance. That additional sugar also means we’re getting too many calories, which is contributing to obesity. Most research, in fact, shows that sugar is the leading cause of obesity, and that more people are fat because of sugar rather than fat.

Sugar is a leading cause of health issues ranging from obesity to diabetes to heart attacks.

We need to cut down on our sugar intake and we need to do is soon.

Sugar Addiction And Weight in America

Here are just a few facts about sugar consumption to shock you:

An average American will eat 156 lbs of sugar each year. That’s only a little less than the average person’s body weight (150lbs – 180lbs depending on the country).

We’re consuming more soft drinks; 500% more than we did in the 40s, says the US Department o Agriculture Study from 1999.

Science has proven that too much sugar lads to high plaque deposits in arteries, colon cancer, breast cancer and too much LDL cholesterol.

There’s actually a lot of debate going on about whether or not sugar is actually addictive. Self help books say it is. Science says lots of stuff, of which the following are the most interesting points. . .

Facts about how to overcome sugar addiction

Neuroscientists conducting studies using fMRI scans have shown leads to the release of dopamine in the nucleus accumbens (which is basically a part of the brain related to reward and motivation).

Research conducted by Nora Volker at the National Institute for Drug Abuse have shown that there’s a correlation between the brains of obese people and drug addicts.

Rats, when deprived of food then given food with sucrose, start binge eating.

Research has shown that sugar changes dopamine receptors. This means that you need more sugar to get a pleasant feeling. This is why overweight people on weight loss plans often feel depressed– they’re not consuming enough sugar for their dopamine receptors.

So, it seems sugar is addictive.

The more we have the more we need, and if we don’t have it we feel depressed.

So where the heck is the answer?

Two choices:

go cold turkey, which will inevitably make you miserable for a while but will work for those willing

gradually decrease consumption, which will make you less miserable but take longer.

How To Overcome Sugar Addiction

There are some great ways to beat sugar addiction naturally. And in my personal experience, the best way to beat sugar addiction naturally is with meditation. I’ve written a complete guide to meditation for weight loss for you.

But remember, you don’t need to give up all types of sugar.

Which sort of sugars are good and which are bad?

“Sugars in fruit and dairy contain lots of nutrients that are good for us,” says dietitian Alison Hornby. These sugars are perfectly permissible. As Hornby states, “It’s the food high in added sugar but low in nutrients that we should be trying to consume less of.” This includes pop and candies.

Shockingly a whopping 10% of the calories we get from food comes from added sugars.

We can use meditation to help with our diets. Meditation and mindfulness help the mind to overcome cravings, such as craving for sugar.

And we can use the follow excellent tips too.

1: Look for different sugars on food labels

Quitting sugar is not a simple case of choosing to have less sugar. You need to know which types of sugar to cut down on.

Hornby tells THE DAILY MEDITATION that the best strategy to cut down on sugar is to “recognise the sources of sugar in your diet, then decide what to eliminate and what to cut down on.”

There are lots of different ways that manufacturers like to state that there’s sugar in a product. Look for the following on the label:

glucose

fructose

corn syrup

maltose

hydrolysed starch

invert sugar

sucrose

molasses

honey

Try to avoid products that contain these ingredients.

2: Make smart choices

It can be too tempting to think, “I’m going to give up on sugar and live with perfect health.”

I admire your optimism.

In reality, most people who aim too high end up falling down. You’re best to make smart choices with your meals, to cut down on sugar in ways you can stick to. Here’s how

Breakfast

Cereals have lots of sugar. Some cereals are even up to 37% sugar. Switching your cereal can be a great way to start cutting down on sugar in your diet.

Try some of these breakfast options instead:

Porridge

Plain porridge

Whole wheat cereal biscuits

Shredded Wheat

Switching from your regular cereal to one of these healthier options could cut out up to 70g of sugar a week, the equivalent of 22 sugar cubes. Feel free to add some chopped up fruit to your choice of breakfast, this provides you with some healthy sugar.

Meals

You might think you don’t have a lot of sugar in the meals you eat. Sugar, however, can enter your diet in sneaky ways. You’re not always aware of it. Soups and sauces, for instance, can add a large amount of sugar to your diet. Some of the sugar is from veg and fruit, which is fine, but some is added for flavour. 150g of pasta sauce, for instance, contains 13g of sugar.

When eating out, try to be mindful of which meals typically have a lot of sugar in them. This included curry sauces, soups, salad dressings and practically everything on the Chinese menu.

Condiments like Ketchup also tend to contains a heck of a lot of sugar. Ask yourself whether you really need the condiment on top of the meal or whether you could go without.

Snacks & Drinks

Snacks are one area where it’s relatively easy to make the right choice. A chocolate bar or a pacl of candy is, of course, going to be very high in sugar. Try to have a natural snack, like some hazelnut or raisins instead.

3: Drinks

Nearly one quarter of all the sugar which is added to diets comes from drinks. 500ml of Coke, for instance, contains about 17 sugar cubes worth of sugar. For many people completely eliminating pop can be a huge step towards healthier living.

The best alternative to pop is water.

However, if you’re fancying a bit of flavour, try some fruit juices, which at least provide a healthy form of sugar. Don’t overdo it though, as even too much of the right sugar can be a bad thing. Aim to drink mostly water and have the occasional sweet drink as a treat.